SAVE: Seven Key Facts About Domestic Violence

Everybody has heard about intimate partner violence. But do you know how common it is? Who is most affected? And whether we are making progress in the national effort to curb partner abuse?

Fact #1: One in 10 American couples engages in intimate partner violence each year.

About one in 10 married and cohabiting couples experience some form of partner aggression (slap, shove, punch, etc.) each year (1).

Fact #2: Men and women engage in domestic violence at similar rates.

• According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, more than five million men and nearly five million women experience some type of violence at the hands of their partners every year (2).
• If an incident escalates, the female partner is more likely to be injured. Nonetheless, of all victims who require medical attention, one-third are male (3).
• Female initiation of partner violence is the leading reason for the woman becoming a victim of subsequent violence. Dr. Sandra Stith has called it “a dramatically more important factor than anything else.” (4)

Fact #3: Partner aggression is often two-way.

• A comprehensive review of research conducted with large population samples found 58% of all intimate partner violence is bi-directional (5).
• A Centers for Disease Control survey of young adults found that half of all partner violence is reciprocal (6).

Fact #4: Although all segments of society are affected, domestic violence is concentrated in certain groups.

Domestic violence is more common among certain groups such as:
• Lower income couples (7).
• Couples who are not in intact, married relationships.
• Lesbian and gay partners (8)

Fact #5: Many factors contribute to domestic violence.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has identified over 25 different causes of domestic violence. These include individual, relationship, and community factors (9). Substance abuse, marital instability, and psychological disorders are known to often lead to domestic violence incidents.

Fact #6: America is making steady progress in the national effort to curb intimate partner aggression.

Since the mid-1970s, domestic violence among intimate partners has fallen dramatically, whether violence is assessed by community surveys (10), crime surveys of non-fatal violence (11), or FBI homicide statistics (12).

Many victims of domestic violence encounter discrimination and other barriers to receiving assistance:
• One analysis concluded, “the exclusion of men appears to be the norm.” (13)
• One survey highlighted the discriminatory practices of many domestic violence shelters, concluding that lesbian and gay victims “still did not have consistent access to culturally competent services to prevent and address the violence against them.” (14)

References

For example, the 1992 National Alcohol and Family Violence Survey found 9.5% of men and 9.1% of women in married or cohabiting relationships had experienced inter-partner violence in the previous year.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Atlanta, GA. 2011.

From 1975 to 1992. Male victims: From 11.6% to 9.5% of couples. Female victims: From 12.1% to 9.1% of couples. Source of 1975 data: National Surveys of Family Violence. Source of 1992 data: National Alcohol and Family Violence Survey.